Triffles By Susan Glaspell

Questions

• What clues lead the women to conclude that Minnie Wright killed her husband?

The clues that have led the women to conclude that Minnie Wright killed her husband are broken furnitures, the rundown kitchen, preserved fruits, ragged clothing, "unfinished quilt" that has messy stitches, "the empty bird cage" and the box which contains the "canary with a wrung neck".

• How do the men differ from the women? From each other?

The differences between men and women in Susan Glaspell's "The Trifles" are the men is emotionally less sensitive and particular than women. Based on the play, we can see the "Sheriff", "County Attorney" and Mr. Hale didn't seem to investigate further for the clues in the kitchen. Most of their conversation has clearly shown how much they have belittled the women at that time and assumed women only worried of small particular things in the household, for instance, how they criticized women for worrying trifles and fruit preservatives. The only thing the sheriff in the beginning of the investigation was "Nothing here but kitchen things." and "Well, can you beat the women! Held for murder and worryin' about her preserves." Meanwhile Hale agreed that "women are used to worrying over trifles." On the other hand, County Attorney only wanted the answer to the murder scene instead of the reason why Minnie Wright has killed her husband: "I guess before we're through she may have something more serious than preserves to worry about." Even though he said might show he was a rational person, however, he wanted things to be done without hearing any further elaborations. He said "I'd like to talk more about that a little later. I want to get the lay of things upstairs now." This has clearly seen men are very dominant person, and seldom bring themselves to a particular thought which usually made by the women. At the end of the story, the men look upon the importance of law instead of the importance of the relationship between an individual , for instance, the sheriff said "Married to the law." We can implied that there is no wa  has already displayed that men do not take account of a personal relationship when there is a violation towards the law.( "The Trifles" by Susan Glaspell (1916), Portable Legacy, 2009: 709-712, 720)

Whereas the women, Mrs Hale and Mrs Peter, are rather different from these male characters in terms of emotions and sensitivity in further investigating the situation. Mrs Hale is rather a very sensitive and emotional as she easily felt guilty of not visiting Minnie Wright. She even reminiscent of the days she was with Minnie during her younger time as a very beautiful woman who sang in a choir in town. She mentioned in the conversation that:

"Mrs. Hale: Wright was close. I think maybe that's why she kept so much to herself. She didn't even belong to the Ladies Aid. I suppose she felt she couldn't do her part, and then you didn't enjoy things when you feel shabby. She used to wear pretty clothes and be lively, when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls singing in the choir. But that- oh, that was thirty years ago. This all you was to take in?" ("The Trifles" by Susan Glaspell, Portable Legacy, 2009:714)

"Mrs Hale: I could've come. I stayed away because it weren't cheerful-and that's why I ought to have come. I-I've never liked this place. Maybe because it's down in a hollow and you don't see the road. I dunno what it is but it's a lonesome place and always was. I wish I had come over to see Minnie Foster sometimes. I can see now. ("The Trifles" by Susan Glaspell, Portable Legacy, 2009:717)

 Based on this quotation, we can see that Mrs. Hale as a woman usually would put herself under Minnie Wright's shoes as a way to understand her situation. She would feel that it was right to protect her friend's crime evidence (the box contained a dead canary) in her coat pocket as a way to help her as a friend.

"Mrs. Hale: I might have known she needed help! I know things can be-for women. I tell you, it's queer, Mrs. Peter. We live close together and we live apart. We all go through the same thing-it's all just a different kind of the same thing." ("The Trifles" by Susan Glaspell (1916), Portable Legacies, 2009:719)

Meanwhile, Mrs. Peter is a very rational person in analyzing the situation as well as the person who tried to stop Mrs Hale from being too emotional, quoting that  "But Mrs. Hale, the law is the law." ("The Trifles" by Susan Glaspell (1916), Portable Legacies, 2009:715). Even though she agreed what has Mrs. Hale thought, however she still insisted that "the law has got to punish crime." which Minnie couldn't avoid at the end. Because she remembered of her first son's death, she emphasizes Minnie's overwhelming loneliness and being mistreated by her husband after he killed Minnie's canary.

What do the men discover? Why do they conclude "Nothing here but kitchen things"
The men only realize that the kitchen is very messy, based on the scene given in the extract of the "The Trifles" where the kitchen has  "unwashed pans under the sink", "a loaf of bread", "a dish of incompleted work", "a dish-towel on the table"-other signs of incompleted work. They conclude "Nothing here but kitchen things" is because they couldn't find the leading clue that lead the criminal, Minnie, that made her kill her husband. And all the things that were available in the kitchen were plainly being assumed that Minnie is a full-time house wife which is hardly impossible for her to use any specific weapon to kill her husband. Therefore, the quotation shows that how insignificant and unimportant Minnie's actions that made her kill her husband, which is continued by "Women are used to worrying trifles."


References:

"The Trifles" by Susan Glaspell (1916), Jan Zlotnik Schmidt & Lynne Crockett, Portable Legacies: Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Nonfiction, First Edition: Drama, Micheal Rosemberg, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning

Well-Known Playwrights In The World of Literature

Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906)



Hendrik Ibsen  ( Henry Johan Ibsen, 1828-1906) was born in Skien, Norway, 1828. He is the eldest son (initially was the second child as his eldest brother had died in an early age) in the family, following with another 5 siblings. His father, Knud Ibsen, worked as a captain in the seas. His father married to Marichen Cornelia Martie Altenburg, the daughter of a German's merchant, in 1825. Since young, he has been a very introvert person and began to show a sense of alienation after his father was forced to pay off his debt by mortgaging his business to pay off the debts. He was also being accused as an "illeginmate child" due to some unexpected rumors from the people who he knew. Therefore, the central focus of his plays was mostly about illeginmate offspring (source taken from: http://www.gradesaver.com/author/henrik-ibsen/).

Henrik Ibsen wrote his first play Catliline (1849) when he was twenty one years old. The play was about the "failure of "Catiline's conspiracy" and was composed in a form of blank verse. However, the play was not well-received by every theatre Ibsen submitted to be performed. He spent most of his time looking through and comment about the contemporary literature in Norweign. After accepting a new contract in National Theatre in Bergen, he began to continue to produce plays such as St. John's Night (1852). During this time, he began to experiment on "folk songs, folklore, and history" (http://www.gradesaver.com/author/henrik-ibsen/)

In 1858, he began to work in the city of the Norwegian Theatre as a creative director . Then Henrik married to Suzannah Thoreson, and have a son named Sigurd Ibsen. He realized the importance of having an equal relationship with his wife. At the same time, he has also migrated to Italy and Germany after managed to collect some money from his friend. Therefore, he began to write on the issues of love and marriage like "Love's Comedy" (1862), "Brand" (1866),  "Peer Gynt" (1867),  "A Doll's House" (1879). Most these plays that he have successfully produced were "written to be read than to be used for theatre performance (cited from:http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/dollhouse/ & http://www.gradesaver.com/author/henrik-ibsen/). In the 1900, Ibsen suffered from some serious strokes and he was unable to continue his career in the literature field.  He died on 23rd May 1906 after living for several more years. His last words were "To the Contrary!" in Norwegian. After his death, Ibsen received a state funeral from the Norwegian government.

        Instead of using the previous style of writing, Henrik evolved his writing style into a more realistic approach to let the reader to visualize the situation which is happening in the story especially the scenes in "A Doll's House". By using realism approach, it will bring out visionable thoughts about how was the house looked like and how was the room being arranged based on the extract given.

Act Scene 1

"SCENE. --A room furnished comfortably and tastefully, but not extravagantly. At the back, a door to the right leads to the entrance-hall, another to the left leads to Helmer's study.

Between the doors stands a piano. In the middle of the left-hand wall is a door, and beyond it a window. Near the window are a round table, arm-chairs and a small sofa. In the right-hand wall, at the farther end, another door; and on the same side, nearer the footlights, a stove, two easy chairs and a rocking-chair; between the stove and the door, a small table. Engravings on the walls; a cabinet with china and other small objects; a small bookcase with well-bound books. The floors are carpeted, and a fire burns in the stove. It is winter."

(Taken from About.com:Classic Litearture (A Doll's House) :http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/hibsen/bl-hibsen-doll-1.htm)

Based on "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen, he also writes about the role of females in Henrik's social context at that time. In the first scene, we can see that the female character Nora, was initially being depicted as a very naive, a spendthrift and a foolish girl by Helmer. And she seemed to be not to worry about how much she spent on buying a Christmas tree. As the story developed, her sufferings have become much more obvious when she was in a very heavy debt and didn't know who to depend on. Hence, she asked for the lawyer's help (Nils Krogstad) to help her to fake her father's signature in order to gain some money to fulfil her daily needs. At the same time, she has also abandoned the poor Torvald for a richer man based on Act 3. As a result, she was being threatened by Krogstad. He said in Act 2 that if she is willing to be in a relationship with him, he will help her to cover up all her actions. Secondly, Mrs. Linde is being displayed as a very timid and helpless woman who couldn't make her own decision as she has lost her husband, leaving three children under her care. It has been clearly clarified that Henrik wished that if a marriage is as equal as the two opposite sexes, the marriage would be a blissful journey for both men and women. Likewise, women wouldn't be suffering from gender inequality as a result of unable to support themselves financially.
      

References:
1. Henrik Ibsen, Retrieved on 2/11/2013
       http://www.gradesaver.com/author/henrik-ibsen/
2. Jan Zlotnik Schmidt & Lynne Crockett, Portable Legacies: Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Nonfiction, First Edition: Drama, Micheal Rosemberg, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. (2009: 167-231)
3. About.com: Classic Literature
http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/hibsen/bl-hibsen-doll-1.htm
4. A Doll's House - Complete Audio Book, ThinkAgainAudioBook, 22nd December 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvuOj_n0e4s
5. Sparknotes: A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/dollhouse/
6. Henrik Ibsen's Biography, Retrieved 28/11/2013
http://www.biography.com/people/henrik-ibsen-37014?page=2

Susan Glaspell (1876–1948)

Susan Glaspell (Susan Keating Glaspell,1876–1948) was born in Davenport, Iowa in 1st July 1876. She studied at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa and was graduated with a bachelor. In 1899, she started to write for the Des Moines Daily News. She wrote for Harper's and The Ladies' Home Journal. In 1915, she was married to George Cook and began her career as a playwright. Both George Cook and Susan have established the Provincetown Players on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She has published 14 major works in dramas.  Most of her major plays focused on the feminism approach, which tackles on the role of women in the society and family. Most of her work displayed how did men perceive and think about women and the relationships between men and women in the society.

Drama
Suppressed Desires (1915), co-written with Geroge Cram Cook
Trifles (1916), adapted into the short story A Jury of Her Peers (1917)
Close the Book (1917)
The Outside (1917)
The People (1917)
Woman's Honor (1918)
Tickless Time (1918), co-written with George Cram Cook
Bernice (1921)
Inheritors (1921)
The Verge (1921)
Chains of Dew (1922), published for the first time in 2010
The Comic Artist (1927), co-written with Norman Matson
Alison's House (1930), winner of 1931 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Springs Eternal (1943), published for the first time in 2010

She has also published two novels like "Brook Evans" (1928) and "The Fugitive's Return" (1929). She has also written the play, Alison's House, which she has won the Pulitzer Prize.

One of her well-known drama plays is "The Trifles" (1916). "The Trifles" is about a one-act play which focuses on "the psychology of crime through the lens of female domesticity" (quoted from http://www.gradesaver.com/author/susan-glaspell/). "The Triffles" (1916) is adapted from a true murder
 a murder scene which happened in Midwestern America. The play was based on a real murder scene which was reported by Susan Glaspell in 3rd December 1900 until 19th April 1901. The farmer, John Hossack was reported to be murdered by his wife, Mrs. Margeret Hossack after a fierce argument happened between both of them about their second son. The wife then murdered her husband using an axe to chop his skull while he was asleep. Therefore, this has represented the women at that time was deeply suppressed by men. They did not have financial support to support themselves but to rely themselves to their husband to fulfil their needs. Because of this inequality between men and his wives, Susan Glaspell began to take on this issue by writing "The Trifles" as a way to initiate a feminist approach.

The main setting of the play is in the The Wright's family kitchen and the Minnie Wrights's room. The scene and the narration of the incident were done by Mrs Hale and Mrs Wright, as a way to reflect how insignificant women in speaking for their rights and their roles in the household. The absence of Minnie Wright shows how fragile and invisible she was in gaining her own rights and freedom from her husband's control. Even though the reason to murder her husband was left unknown, the possibilities of her murdering her husband were symbolized as "an empty canary cage", "a dead canary", "ruined fruit preserves" and "an unfinished quilt", as a way to show the reason why did Minnie Wright wanted to end her husband's life. When the two women realized the "canary with a wrung neck inside the box", they realized the Minnie's sufferings due to her husband's mistreatment towards her by constraining her in the farmhouse; just to finish all the daily chores in the house. Mrs. Peter began to soften to her feminine side after remembering the death of her daughter and allow Mrs. Hale to hide the box in her coat pocket. 

The pattern of killing her husband is as similar as the murder case of Mr. Hossack and it has also indicated that the overwhelming loneliness and the feeling of wanting to gain freedom from her husband's control had led to her insanity. And the portrayal of men in "The Trifles" has shown how did the Sheriff and Mr. Hale has belittled Minnie Wright and claimed "Woman only worried of trifles." in the dialogue. Because of that time, women don't have the right to vote and to change the ideology of the society. This has eventually led to the emergence of feminism in going against the men for suppressing the women's right as an individual in terms of speech freedom, to elect a president and to protect themselves from gender inequality. 

References:
1. Susan Glaspell, Retrieved on 2/11/2013
        http://www.gradesaver.com/author/susan-glaspell/

2. What So Proud We Hail: Making American Citizens Through Literature (Author: Susan Glaspell),   Retrieved on 2/11/2013         
http://www.whatsoproudlywehail.org/authors/susan-glaspell

3. Susan Glaspell. Susan Glaspell: The Complete Plays (Paperback). United States: McFarland Co Inc. (2010), Taken from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, Retrieved on 3/11/2013

4. The Trifles by Susan Glaspell, Retrieved on 3/11/2013
 http://plays.about.com/od/plays/a/trifles.htm

5 American Literature: Research and Analysis Web Site- The Trifles by Susan Glaspell, Retrieved on Retrieved on 2/11/2013
 http://itech.fgcu.edu/faculty/wohlpart/alra/glaspell.htm

6. Susan Glaspell: Reprinted from The True Crime: The American Anthology, Retrieved on 3/11/2013
http://www.loa.org/images/pdf/Glaspell_Hossack_Murder.pdf

7. Trifles by Susan Glaspell, a d'moiselles production in NYC, 12th January 2013.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1LGwPFeSz8

8. Susan Glaspell : Biography, Retrieved from 28/11/2013
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jglaspell.htm

A Date With A Literary Scholar (-Refaat Alareer)

Last Monday, we had a seminar with Refaar Alareer, who came far from Palestine to share about his experiences in writing poetry. He was indeed an amazing poet even though he wasn't a poet as his profession. His love for John Donne's and T.S Elliot's writing styles have inspired him to compose more poetries in terms of the uses of  literary devices, like metaphors and similes. The uses of metaphors and similes can be dominantly found in his favorite poem such as "And We Live On" and "I am You". His inspiration was solely created from his sense of patriotism towards Gaza and his sympathy towards the war as well as inequality in Gaza. I was quite touched and sympathies of his country's sufferings as a result of the conflicts between the Jews and the Islams for 50 years. As a result, it makes me come to realize that poetries sometimes do tell us real life stories, which can be clearly exemplified in those previous poetries and prose that have been composed by well-known poets in the history of English Literature. His determination towards establishing English Literature in Gaza, has created an awareness for myself of the importance of knowing current issues in different countries before placing any bias judgement towards the given unknown situation. This is because most of the public media are controlled by the government themselves in order to create a positive ideology of their own governmental systems. As we know, current issues in the newspapers may be telling lies and rumors which are untrue. Therefore, a deep understanding in literature is a plus point for the readers to be more rational in deliberating our thoughts and more empathy towards the sufferings of the country in Gaza.

Throughout the whole seminar, I have learnt that:

-Writing poetry is to defend ourselves based on our personal experiences in our real life. Therefore, it can  break the social gap by using English as a medium of writing. This is to create an awareness for the readers about the current issues that happening in the other country. Hence, the reader will gain new knowledges from the speaker of the poem.

- Writing in English without using their mother language is to encourage them to master their English Language and learn to be more independent without depending any translator, especially in those countries which embrace their mother tongue. (For instance, poet like Rafeef Ziadah who wrote "We teach life, sir") 

Q&A Session:

1. The question given by Maya: What kind of style of writing which are usually used in Gaza?
Refaat Alareer said that the style of writing depends on the speaker's personal experiences with his or her surroundings.

For instance,

Refaat Alareer's style of writings is based on:

a) His personal experiences

b) Love for his country

-Being a writer of poetry composition, you can be anyone in the story regardless of your personal experiences, or any encounters you have met in life.And he said, " Everybody is unique in their own way in expressing poetry." For example, in the poem "Over the Wall" by Refaat Alareer,he may be the nephew or niece of the "grandma" on the bombing scene.

2. Another question was being asked about the symbolism of olive oil which was conveyed in Refaat's blog through pictures and poetries:
He said that , olive oil symbolizes the interaction between man and land, which is known as his uprooted homeland. It was used for medicinal purposes to heal skin problems in their everyday life. The olive seeds are only planted in Gaza. Therefore, it displayed a connection of the historical background of Gaza and the Palestinians' residency for the past 50 years.

3. How do a poet write about the feeling or suffering of others? -
As a poet or a writer, we need to understand and know how to put ourself on the positions of everyone.

Lastly, the secret recipe behind his success in writing poetry is not a secret after all:

1. Read a lot of good and high quality poetry

2. Believe that you can write good stuff

-Getting yourself into believing you can do it

3. Have the will to do so.

-By writing English poems.

4. Scribble your thoughts.

5. Imitate

-By listening to the poets reciting their poems

6. Be Yourself.

-To project your self-empathy. 

For more interesting readings about Refaat Alareer's poetry, log on to http://thisisgaza.wordpress.com/

(Taken from Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKucPh9xHtM)

The Understanding on War Poetry

They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. But in modern war, there is nothing sweet nor fitting in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason.

ERNEST HEMMINGWAY

What is 'War Poetry'? 
War Poetry could be described as being: 
a) Poems which concentrate on the subject of war; or 
b) Poems which are written during a war that seems to have a noticeable influence on the poet. 
c) Many of the soldiers who participated in World War I were highly educated and wrote extensively (prose and poetry) about their experiences.

Characteristics of War Poetry:
(Based on the overview of the research title "The Theme of Futility in War Poetry" by Ahmad Abu Baker)

• The war poetry is introduced by the poets who have experienced the terror of War World I and World War World II. War poetry is considered as contemporary poetry which is authentic, original, revolutionary and free from the classical rules. 
• Dennis Brown attributes the subject of experimentation in modern poetry to the "disorientation" induce by the shock of the Great War, among other reasons (Brown 1989:11). 
• Most of the common themes, like the casualties of war and the inevitable deaths, can be found in the most well-known poets like Rupert Brooke, Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon.
•  Many of them suffered from psychological problems during and after the war due to shell shock and/or the horrible scenes of mutilated bodies and human parts scattered on the battlefield. 
• War poetry captures the physical and emotional features of modern war: the pain, weariness, madness, and degradation of human beings under intolerable strain. 
• War poetry captures the physical and emotional lineaments of modern war: the pain, weariness, madness, and degradation of human beings under intolerable strain.

Change in attitude to war:

• At the beginning of the war, spirits were high and people felt very patriotic
• Soldiers as young as 17 years enlisted in huge number
• As the war continued without result for months, attitudes began to change.
• The massive injuries and high death tolls (ran into the hundreds of thousands) caused fear and despair.
• Many suffered from shell shock
• Some soldiers deliberately got injured so they would be sent back home
• Penalties for desertion or refusal to fight were very high
• Many were sent back after being treated for their wounds or psychological problems.

Gender Issues Raised by the War

• The war had been portrayed as a very manly activity, but the hours of waiting in the trenches for something to happen, brought on a passivity that seemed feminine
• The dehumanizing effects of the war lead to all kinds of psychological disorders that caused behavior that was seen as feminine. ( The emotion of fear: nervousness, crying, fearfulness)
• Many women were left behind to take on the men’s jobs in the factories. When the men returned, they often were the ones to stay at home (either injured, disabled or debilitated in some way) while the women worked. This dealt a blow to the masculinity of the soldiers while the women gained economic independence and with it a measure of self confidence.

Themes of the war: Children at War

• All armies in the Great War used kid soldiers. 
• In the beginning of the war the enthusiasm to join the battle was so great that young boys (and even girls) could hardly be stopped to enlist.
• Recruiting Officers in all countries closed their eyes when eager children clearly under the required age 
• 18 years old showed up to join their armies and lied about their age.
• At the end of the war children were even more welcome in the ranks, as the war continued to require human bodies with an astonishing need.
• Hardly trained the kids were sent to the trenches in Belgium, France, Russia and Turkey, where they mingled with the older soldiers and died with them.

Taken from:  http://www.greatwar.nl/ (Children of the great war)

Examples of Poem in World War 1:

The Soldier
By: Rupert Brooke

If should die, think only this of me:

That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the Eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given,
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends' and gentleness;
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

--Rupert Brooke

Analysis of the Poem:

The poem is about the sense of patriotism of an English soldier who fought against Germans during WW1. He imagined of how noble a soldier is willing to sacrifice their own life for the country. He assumed it would be well-rewarded with medals and medication for the soldiers if they won the battle.This can be quoted from stanza one, "If I should die...forever England" (lines 1-3). He is implying that if he dies in the battle, his body will forever be in that foreign field and since his dead body is there, it is like that part of the field belongs to England."There shall be...dust concealed" (lines 3-4). He rather died on the ground he fought for his country. It carried the soul of a great man who died for his country."A dust...suns of home" (lines 5-8). His death will be forever remembered by England. His soul will be immortalized, because he battled for England."And think...no less" (lines 9-10). His death is justified, because he died for England."Gives somewhere...happy as her day" (lines 11-12). His death allows him to only remember the good things about England. It also allows for someone else to come and take his place. He is narrating his dreams and thoughts about England for the next generation who will be a soldier like him; so that he can fight with as much heart and honor as he did."And laughter...under an English heaven" (lines 13-14). These last lines display the happiness that England has brought to him. As he has fought for English and he will eventually live with peace and smile with the good memories he had at heart.

Brooke, Rupert. "The Soldier." The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Twentieth Century and After. Vol. F. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: Norton, 2006. 1955-6.

References

1. Ernest Hemingway's quotation: http://www.usefultrivia.com/quotations/war_quotations.html
2. http://www.nobleworld.biz/images/Abu_Baker2.pdf
3. War Is Kind: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16409#sthash.UzxGX49E.dpuf
4. http://engres.ied.edu.hk/literature/E-lecture(Mat)/Week10(WarPoetry)/War%20Poetry%202.pdf
5. Analysis of Rupert Brooke's The Soldier: http://voices.yahoo.com/analysis-rupert-brookes-poem-soldier-4218489.html?cat=42

War Is Kind [excerpt]

  By Stephen Crane 

"Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind.

Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky

And the affrighted steed ran on alone,



Do not weep.

War is kind.

Introduction to Drama

Introduction to Drama  

“Life is a theatre set in which there are but few practicable entrances.” 
― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables 

Victor quoted that life is a theatre, therefore we can see that most of our everyday actions are dramas. Drama is one of the literary genre that consist of 4 important organic unity which is introduced by Aristotle, plot, setting, characters and the theme of the play. Based on the Portable Legacies (2009: 1158), the writers have stated that theatre existed in human cultures long before recorded history. Societies developed dramatic rituals with characters, costumes, makeup, masks, settings and special efforts to educate, entertain, initiate, worship the gods, and control the environment. Most of the drama in the pasta is mostly used to fulfil a ritual ceremony. This is also applicable to animated picture drama as well as the conventional stage playing. 

Types of Dramas

1. Tragedy
Aristotle has stated that a tragedy is the simulation of actions which has an important role; together with the use of beautiful language as well as the unity of length of tragedy. Tragedy will arouse a dramatic situation that allows the audience to sympathize and fear of the characters in the play due to "hamartia" (character's weaknesses). The emotions of sympathies and fear are the result of the purgation of catharsis. In Elizabethan play, the Renaissance drama ends with death and the downfall of some noble person due to his flaw in his character. Modern tragedy does not always end with death and often displays the weak and mean character instead of the strong character. 

2. Comedy
Comedy is the lighter drama in which the main characters managed to go through the obstacles that temporarily impeded their progress. When comedy becomes more absurd or amusing without concern the moral values, it becomes a farce. 

3. Fantasy
A play sometimes, but not always, in comic spirit in which the author gives free reign to his fantasy, allowing things to happen without regard to reality.

4. Melodrama
Like farce, melodrama pays almost no attention to human values, but its object is to give a thrill instead of a laugh. Melodrama is often good entertainment.

Types of Drama of Historical Interest:

1. Medieval mystery plays -- The play that contains "biblical stories" and "allegorical mysteries".
2. Chronicle plays -- The play that has taken from historical scenes and characters.
3. Masques -- The play that has singing, dancing and costuming. It is usually allegorical.

References:

The Quotations about Theatre: Victor Hugo

http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/theatre

Paredes. US, Aristotle's Definition of Tragedy, n.d, 6th October 2013
         http://www.paredes.us/tragedy.html

Life Stream Center, Drama, n.d, 6th October
         http://drb.lifestreamcenter.net/Lessons/Drama.htm

Jan Zlotnik Schmidt & Lynne Crockett, Portable Legacies: Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Nonfiction, First Edition: Drama, Micheal Rosemberg, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. (2009: 1158)


Image of Masks in Ancient Greek
https://www.google.com.my/search? q=ancient+greek+drama+masks&espv=210&es_sm=122&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=V6V0Ur6LCoWCrgfBlYGYBg&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1092&bih=480